Take Me Away
by winterwolf
Summary: Last chapter posted...hope you like it.
1. Default Chapter

TAKE ME AWAY (1/?)  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own anything. All Third Watch characters are the property of the genius himself- John Wells, oh and NBC, WB...etc. Summary: A domestic dispute turns both Faith's and Bosco's life upside down.... Author's Note: This is my first fic. After being an avid reader for a long time, you guys have inspired me to strike out on my own and give it a try. Feedback is greatly appreciated.  
  
"Why are you doing this?"  
  
His head slowly turned towards me and his eyes finally met mine. With no warning he charged in my direction, stopping just inches from my face. His eyes were wild with hatred and in that moment I knew it was over. He had lost it, snapped, was out of touch with reality.  
  
"Do you know what your partner did to my family, " he screamed, spit hitting my face. "He took her away, she was the only one left, and now I have no one, NO ONE." he shouted and backhanded me across the face.  
  
Momentarily stunned, I started to panic, thinking that maybe I had pushed too far. My heart was beating so fast I thought it would explode, but just as his rage was quick to flare up, it was also quick to dissipate.  
  
He drew away from me, lowering his raised fist. His face became calm and serene and I wasn't sure which was more unsettling. As he walked up the stairs out of the dark, damp basement, Faith could hear him mumbling, "Soon he will feel my pain".  
  
PREVIOUS WEEK  
  
The continuous drumming on the steering wheel was driving Faith crazy. "Would you stop that already."  
  
Bosco looked in her direction and was greeted with an icy stare "Jeez, what crawled up your ass?"  
  
"Nothing, I just wish you would stop that, it's giving me a headache." she said in a defeated tone.  
  
"It's that time of the month isn't it?" he grinned at his comment knowing she would get mad. But instead of her usual witty come back she didn't reply, just kept staring out the window.  
  
"Earth to Yokas?" When she didn't answer he turned in his seat to look at her.  
  
"Faith?" he asked catiously.  
  
"Central to 55david" crackled over the radio.  
  
Faith grabbed the radio "55david to central"  
  
"Respond to a domestic dispute at 209 Smith Street"  
  
"10-4 Central," Not another one" Faith moaned as she turned on the sirens while Bosco headed towards Smith street  
  
"We'll talk about this later," Bosco said.  
  
"Look, I am fine alright. " she said with a hint of warning in her tone.  
  
"Are you sick again", his voice that of a little boy's. Lately he had started to constantly worry about her. His nightmares started to include her. Each nightmare he was unable to save her from some kind of evil. He shuddered when he thought about it.  
  
Faith's demeanor instantly softened, placing a hand over his, she softly replyed " No Boz, I am not sick. Just tired ok, I promise." Satisfied with her answer he pulled up to the apartment on Smith Street and switched to cop mode.  
  
****  
  
They both raced up the stairs to apartment 209, it wasn't difficult to find. Shouts and loud crashes could be heard at the end of the hallway. Bosco glanced, she signaled back that she was ready  
  
"Police, Open up," Faith shouted as she pounded on the door. A scream could be heard from behind the closed door and Faith felt Bosco tense beside her. Just as Bosco was going to kick the door in, it was opened and they were faced with a barrel of a shotgun. Behind him a women could be seen sprawled face first on the ground, unmoving.  
  
"Sir, I need you to put the gun down." Faith said in a somewhat calm tone.  
  
"Fuck you," the man sneered, the smell of alcohol permeating to her nose. He stood about 6 feet and weighed at least 200 pounds.  
  
Slowly reaching for his service weapon Bosco said "Put the gun down asshole"  
  
Faith quickly looked toward Bosco knowing he was about to do something, they would regret.  
  
"Keep your hands where I can see them" the man yelled, shoving the barrel closer to Bosco's face.  
  
"Ok man, chill out, we were called here on a domestic dispute....."  
  
"Stay the fuck out of my business you fucking cops." the man screamed becoming more agitated.  
  
Just as the man was about to shoot, he was hit in the back of the head, falling to the floor. A women with a baseball bat and a bloody face stood over her husband and started sobbing. Bosco reached the woman just as she was about to collapse. Faith checked the man's pulse, placed cuffs on his wrists and unloaded the shotgun.  
  
"55-david to Central, we need a bus to this location, one unconcious victim and one victim with severe wounds."  
  
"Bus has been dispatched 55david"  
  
Bosco continued to hold the women as she wept and looked up to Faith with pain in his eyes. She knew that he hated domestics. It always brought up a past he never wanted to deal with.  
  
"The ambulance is on the way miss," Faith said softly as she knelt down to the floor.  
  
A whisper came from the woman "Is he alive?"  
  
"Do you want him to be?" Bosco asked in an angry tone.  
  
"I love him, he is my husband." her voice getting stronger.  
  
Bosco let go of the women and stood, disgust written all over his face. He was about to give her a reality check when Doc and Carlos walked in and started checking the husband.  
  
"Boz, we should go." Faith lightly touched his arm. He angrily pulled away and stormed back to the RMP.  
  
"He ok?" Doc asked as he moved over to the woman.  
  
Faith sighed, "He just needs to cool off."  
  
"Is that possible?" Carlos snidely replyed. Faith shook her head, ignored his statement and walked to meet her partner outside.  
  
***  
  
The rest of their shift went by without incident. Neither Bosco or Faith spoke the rest of the shift but in the locker room Faith could feel Bosco begin to calm down.  
  
"Do you need a ride home tonight." he asked before he put his jacket on.  
  
"It is such a nice night outside, I think I'll walk."  
  
He got the funny feeling in his stomach that he got every night she refused his offer and walked home instead. But tonight he didn't want to argue, so he just nodded.  
  
"Night Faith."  
  
"Night Boz"  
  
tbc? 


	2. Chapter 2

TAKE ME AWAY (2/3)  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own anything. All Third Watch characters are the property of the genius himself- John Wells, oh and NBC, WB...etc.  
  
Warning: Some foul language and some blood....  
  
Author's Note: This is second part of my first fic. Thank you for all your feedback. Everyone is so generous with their kind words. Makes me smile. You guys are the best. Feedback is greatly appreciated. ***  
  
The next day Faith and Bosco had to take a suspect to the hospital after he continued to bang his head on the grill separating the front and back seat in the squad car.  
  
In a disgusted tone Bosco turned to Faith "He's higher than a kite, no wonder the shop owner just laughed in his face."  
  
"If you don't stop that, you are going to have permanent brain damage," Bosco said with a snort. "Although, that could be an improvement in your case."  
  
"What did you take today sir," Faith asked while trying to keep Bosco's smile from making her laugh.  
  
"Some....pretty ...wicked shit...want some cutie?"  
  
Faith rolled her eyes and didn't give him the satisfaction of answering. Bosco just grinned like an idoit, thinking the comment was funny.  
  
After barely getting the suspect out of the car, Faith signed him in and Bosco headed to the washroom.  
  
He didn't know why but he found himself standing outside the hospital room of the couple from the domestic dispute yesterday. The husband was sleeping and the wife, face battered, one eye swollen shut, held his hand.  
  
"He's never going to stop you know," his tone was quiet. "He'll keep hitting you until one of these days YOU will be in that hospital bed."  
  
The woman looked up, tears streaming down her face. After a few moments she spoke "I have no one else." She let go of her husbands hand, wiping the tears from her face.  
  
"You don't get it do you," starting to get angry, seeing his mother in the woman's eyes. "If you don't leave him, he will kill you."  
  
When she didn't answer or even look his way, Bosco turned and left. The rage and helplessness he felt as a boy surged through his veins. He spotted Faith at the main entrance waiting for him.Trying to hide his anger before he reached her.  
  
"What's wrong," she asked immediately.  
  
How did she do that? She could always spot his distress a mile away no matter how hard he tried to hide it.  
  
"Nothing, you ready to head back out," not looking her in the eyes.  
  
She gently touched his arm, "Boz...."  
  
He looked down at her hand on his arm and felt himself relax. Her touch could do that. Faith always chased the demons for him. She was his personal warrior princess.  
  
He took a deep breath and told her about the woman and how she wouldn't leave her asshole husband, that sooner or later he would kill her.  
  
Faith nodded wanting so desperately to take his pain away.  
  
Throughout the rest of the shift Bosco couldn't get the women out of his mind. What a fool, he thought shaking his head, anger building. Why doesn't she just listen!  
  
By the time they got back to the station, Bosco was in such a rage he thought he would smash whatever stood in his way. Deep down he knew his rage was the product of his mother having the same fate when he was a kid. She didn't listen either, refused to leave their father. And in the end all of them, his mother, Mikey, himself, had all paid the price.  
  
He threw his vest into the locker slamming the door shut and kicking the door in frustration.  
  
Startled, Faith looked over at her partner. "You need to calm down before they bring the calvary in here, Boz." trying to lighten the situation.  
  
He angrily turned to her. "You don't get it either Faith do you? You don't understand, you never have. Everytime I tell you about my past you nod and reassure me. But you have no fucking clue!!" He kicked his locker again.  
  
Faith's eyes widened in shock, her mouth open but no words would come. What is the world brought all this on? Is that what he really thinks she asked herself.  
  
"That's not true Bosco, I do understand."  
  
"Fred yelling at you and the kids doesn't count Faith," he said, anger in his eyes. "Stop trying to fix my screwed up life. I don't need you ok, I never did!" With that said, he stormed out, leaving Faith bewildered and a single tear running down her cheek.  
  
----  
  
I have to get out of here. Faith tried to struggle with the bonds around her wrists. She was against a wall, her arms spread from her body and anchored to the wall with steel manacles. Her feet were tied together, barely touching the ground.  
  
Her teeth started chattering." Doesn't this joint have any heat?" She thought to herself. A smile formed on her lips thinking about the time the heater broke in the RMP and Bosco freaked out.  
  
After the man had left the basement, her mind started working in over time. She knew this guy was unstable. She flashed back to the shotgun the he had pointed at her and Bosco a week before.  
  
Faith's heart felt heavy as she remembered the argument she and Bosco had after their shift. *I don't need you* she knew he had meant it. His eyes never betrayed him and they were full of anger as he said them. Tears began to stream down her face.  
  
She looked up towards the ceiling, "They aren't going to find me in time are they," she whispered to anyone that would listen.  
  
-----  
  
"BOZ! I need your help." Faith's screamed to him.  
  
He awoke, sweat running down his body, breathing fast.....the phone was ringing . Gratefully, it had taken him from his nightmare....  
  
Groping around the nightstand for the phone, he caught it just before it fell to the floor "Hello"  
  
"Boscorelli, is my wife with you." the tone was angry and loud.  
  
"Fred?" Bosco sat up in his bed, reaching to turn the lamp brighter.  
  
With an annoyed tone Fred repeated his question "I'll say it slower for you Boscorelli, IS MY WIFE WITH YOU?"  
  
Bosco glanced at the clock, noting that it was 2:45 am. "No, should she be?"  
  
"She spents every waking hour with you so ya when she didn't come home I figured she would be with you Prince Charming," Freds bitter tone vibrated in Bosco's ear.  
  
"She's not home yet?" Panic reaching his voice. Bosco jumped out of bed, jumping in jeans and pulling a shirt over his head in no time. Something was wrong, he could feel it in the pit of his stomach.  
  
"Fred, I have to go to the station."  
  
"Wait, what hell am I supposed to do?"  
  
"Stay with the kids, I'll call when I know something." Hanging up on Fred, he was out the door and racing toward the station. Avoiding the sinking feeling he had growing in his mind.  
  
"She's ok," his mind told him, trying to reassure himself. "She has to be..."  
  
-------  
  
How long had she been here? A day, two days, three?  
  
She tried to remember how long the body could go without food, a long time she thought, water on the other hand....that was a different story. The man had given her nothing not one drop.  
  
Every cell in her body screamed in pain. She tried to look around but she couldn't see. Panic started to build in the pit of her stomach. Finally she realized that her eyes were swollen shut. Their was a dripping noise, but she remembered no water facets down here. Her mind was playing tricks on her. It's your own blood, her mind screamed at her. No. No. It couldn't be. She was startin to lose it.  
  
The man had been so angry. He kept calling her Mary, after every hit he would scream at her for her wrong doings.  
  
Faith's mind, trying to compensate for the pain started believing she WAS Mary, her own voice, unrecognizable to her own ears, kept repeating "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry."  
  
But the beating never stopped, she tried so hard to hang on, thinking of her kids...her beautiful kids, and Bosco....oh Bosco her mind cried out, but soon the darkness overtook her, falling into sweet oblivion.  
  
---- A task force had been set up. It had been over 24 hours since Faith was last seen. Searches we underway within the hour of Bosco's arrival at the station. Seated in the conference room, Sully, Davis, Bosco, Lieu, and others had congregated to bring about ideas.  
  
"Think Bosco, who would want to take her?" Lieu asked  
  
"I don't know." his voice rising at his helplessness and lack of sleep. His angry words to her repeating in his head.....  
  
"What calls did you guys take these past couple of days?.....Bosco?"  
  
"We had some assults, some drug trafficking, a domestic....oh shit," he jumped out of his chair heading to a squad car.  
  
-----  
  
"Open the door, Police," he banged on the door numbered 209.  
  
It was opened, the beaten woman looking afraid, new bruises on her face. "Where is he?" Bosco demanded  
  
"I made him leave two days ago, told him I wanted a divorce," she said with pride.  
  
Not caring about the woman's triumph, he demanded if she knew where he would go.  
  
"He has a friend, lives in a house on the East side."  
  
With address in hand, he radioed the location, ignoring the pleas by Sully to wait for backup.  
  
Stopping in the middle of the road he jumped out of the RMP and raced toward the house, gun in hand.  
  
"Police!" No answer. Without hesitation he kicked the door in. The house appeared to be empty. Yelling her name, he got no response. The first floor was clear.  
  
He catiously went to the basement door. A lock placed on it. Hitting it with the butt of his gun, it broke clean from the door.  
  
"Faith!"  
  
His eyes adjusted to the dark room. His heart stopped when he saw her, hanging on the wall, bloody, lifeless. Oh God, he felt sick to his stomach as he neared her body.  
  
"Faith can you hear me? Open your eyes, come on Faith." Her face was unrecognizable to him. Swollen and colored with dark bruises and cuts. The grey shirt she was wearing the night so was taken took on a dark color from all the blood.  
  
It was everywhere, blood, Bosco could hear himself breathing rapidly, panic starting to take hold of him. Fighting for control he raised a shaking hand to her throat for a pulse.  
  
Her skin so cold, her lips blue, he knew now that this was his worst nightmare.  
  
"Please be alive, please be alive, please God, don't take her from me." The mantra played in his head over and over again.  
  
Finding a pulse, weak and thready, he wanted to rejoice but knew he couldn't. Not until she had resurance she was going to be ok.  
  
"I need medics now!" he screamed into his portable radio working frantically to release her from her bonds. "Where are the fucking medics!!"  
  
"They're on their way Bosco," Sully's voice barely registering to Bosco  
  
"Stay with me Faith, stay with me....."  
  
Wildly looking around he spied the keys hanging on the opposite wall. Rushing back he dropped the keys, his hands trembling badly.  
  
"Fuck!"  
  
Finally, he released the manacles and Faith's body collapsed into his arms. Gently, he lowered he to the floor. Hugging her fiercly to his chest, he began rocking back and forth, a desperate cry escaping his lips, tears streaming down his face.  
  
"You need to let us look at her Bosco," He looked into Doc's reassuring face, not even hearing them come down the stairs.  
  
As Doc and Carlos worked on Faith, Sully placed his hand on Bosco's shoulder, despair turning into rage. Bosco let the feeling run through body, this he could handle. Like an old friend, he allowed the rage to consume him.  
  
"Don't fucking touch me!"  
  
"Bosco calm down!"  
  
"We need to move her now or we are going to lose her." Doc's voice full of panic.  
  
"Bosco." When he didn't respond Carlos shouted louder. "BOSCO get a grip, we need your help taking her up the stairs."  
  
He immediately moved into action, pushing everyone away from her, he lifted her into his arms and carried her to the ambulance.  
  
Everyone looked at eachother, hoping that Faith pulled through for Bosco's sanity.  
  
While Doc tended to Faith, he looked up at Bosco's glassy eyes. He was clutching Faiths hand like a lifeline. The guy had gone catatonic.  
  
"Talk to her Bosco. Let her hear your voice. She needs to feel safe."  
  
"Faith," his voice barely a whisper, "I need you to stay strong."  
  
Without warning her body started to convulse. Doc worked busily trying to stabalize her.  
  
"FIGHT, " Bosco yelled. "Goddamn it Faith fight. "  
  
The seizure stopped suddenly, relief on Doc's face, pain still etched in Bosco's. Doc patted his knee, "Keep talking to her."  
  
"We're here," Carlos announced pulling up to the hospital.  
  
tbc 


	3. Chapter 3

TAKE ME AWAY (3/3)  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own anything. All Third Watch characters are the property of the genius himself- John Wells, oh and NBC, WB...etc.  
  
Author's Note: Thank you for all your feedback. Everyone is so generous with their kind words. Makes me smile. You guys are the best. My medical knowledge is a little hazy.....I hope you like this last chapter. Thanks CCA for getting rid of my writers' block! *** denotes a past memory  
  
Faith had been in surgery for 3 hours. Nobody had moved from their spots during that time. Most of the emergency workers from the 55 had come to visit, but Bosco didn't speak to anyone. He had stayed secluded in the corner of the room, starring into space.  
  
"Has anyone phoned Fred yet?" Davis broke the silence that ensued over the last few minutes.  
  
"Ya, one of the duty nurses phoned, he is on the way." Alex replied.  
  
Kim turned to the group, "Has Bosco moved or said anything since he got here?"  
  
"He pretty much has been that way since we got out of the ambulance. He just sits and stares." Carlos commented quitely to the group.  
  
"We all have to get going, but give our best to Fred.....and Bosco if he snaps out of it." Alex said to Davis and Scully.  
  
Davis spoke, "Thanks for coming guys, I'm sure Faith would appreciate you being here."  
  
"It was the least we could do."  
  
A short while later the doctor came into the waiting room. Bosco jumped up from his chair.  
  
"Is there a Mr. Yokas here?"  
  
"No, he's on....." Sully didn't even get a chance to finish.  
  
"Is she ok, can I see her..." Bosco said in a rush, words spilling from his mouth. It was the first sign of life he had shown in hours.  
  
"Slow down, I can't give any information to anyone but family members."  
  
"I'm Officer Boscorelli, Faith's partner....."  
  
"I realize that Mr. Boscorelli but.......  
  
Grabbing the doctor by the coat, Bosco roughly pushed him against the wall.  
  
"Listen to me and listen good.....She IS my family......" he said through gritted teeth.  
  
"She was taken straight into surgery. She had trauma to the head and the lower torso. When she was brought in, she was in hyperthermic shock and severe dehydration. X-rays helped us locate the internal bleeding in her abdomen. We were able to repair her ruptured spleen and 3 broken ribs, however, the CAT-scan showed extensive inflamation on the brain from the trauma, she's currently in a coma on life-support."  
  
Bosco let the doctor go and backed away. His legs gave out on him and he sank to his knees. No one made a move, scared of what would happen next, finally Davis said, "Is she going to make it?"  
  
"I don't think she'll survive the night." the doctor said with honesty.  
  
Those words repeated in Bosco's head over and over again. That's when Bosco lost it...went over the edge.  
  
"You can fix her. You're a fucking doctor. FIX HER!" he screamed at the man, grabbing him again and bashing him into the wall several times.  
  
Davis and Sully went to grab Bosco but it was like he wasn't there. Like he didn't hear them yelling for him to let go. After some struggle Bosco finally released the doctor and security came storming through the doors.  
  
"It's ok," Sully went on the explain, "we've got him, he's a cop, we've got him."  
  
Reluctantly, the security officers left with the shocked doctor.  
  
With Bosco still pinned to the ground by Davis he began to struggle.  
  
"Let me up Davis. Let me up, goddammit!"  
  
"What the hell are you doing Bosco?" Sully demanded. "Do you think that will help Faith? Answer me!!!"  
  
"Don't you see, she's in there because of me, I did this!" He was screaming, "If she dies......."  
  
"Hey." Sully hauled him up by the shoulders, shaking him, trying to knock some sense into him. "She's strong ok, she'll make it, it isn't your fault."  
  
Defeated, Bosco sank into a nearby chair, "Yes it is," staring at his blood stained hands....her blood, placing his head in his hands Sully could hear him mumble, "We had a fight."  
  
Just as Sully was going to ask what he was talking about, Bosco kept going,"I yelled at her Sul, I said things......" he took a breath "I said things she will never forgive me for. Now she is lying in a hospital bed, almost beaten to death, and she'll never know how much...." he paused, knowing he had revealed to much but not caring anymore.  
  
"You've never told her have you?" Sully asked in a gentle tone. Bosco looked up with questioning eyes. "You'll get a chance Bosco. Faith cares about you and her kids too much to just give up."  
  
"I can't just sit here and watch her die. I have to do something."  
  
"What you need right now is to get cleaned up and to get some sleep. Faith is going to need you to be strong. She'll need you here when she wakes up."  
  
----------  
  
After a short time, the doctor came back to speak to Fred. Both Bosco and Fred completely ignored each other since his arrival. Each hating the sight of the other.  
  
"As a police officer, Faith had a very thorough living will." the doctor said while looking at Bosco. Uncertain of whether he should fear another outburst from Bosco.  
  
The doctors words got Bosco's attention. He could remember the day so clearly. It had been when they were still in the academy. They had both signed each other's wills. Both had specific instructions on what should be done in an event like this.  
  
Bosco closed his eyes. ******* "Boz, I don't want to be left on a respirator......I don't want to be a vegetable." her voice soft in his ear.  
  
He usually would have had a smart remark, but Faith's eyes pleaded with him to be serious.  
  
"Faith, that decision will never have to be made."  
  
Determined to make him understand, she continued "Boz, it's important that you understand my wishes, we're going to be cops, dangerous situations are going to be part of the norm. No one can avoid death."  
  
All he could do is nod his head in reply. Not wanting to think about it, he had signed her will and took off.  
  
**** He opened his eyes, returning to the present. Everyone was staring at him.  
  
"Why didn't she ask me about this? How could you sign something like that?" Fred said in disgust and anger.  
  
"It's what she wanted. She had me sign it because she knew that you wouldn't. She could never rely on you Fred!!"  
  
"Oh, and I suppose she could rely on YOU? What a joke, Boscorelli. You were never there for her either."  
  
The realization of those words hit him like a freight train. The abortion, the fights with Fred, the cancer.....she hadn't told him a thing. And when she did he had gotten angry with her. For lying to him, for not telling him right away. Angry instead of supportive. He was no better than Fred.  
  
"That's going to change, starting now." Bosco said with conviction, turning and leaving the hospital. I refuse to sit here and watch her die he said to himself.  
  
Stunned, no one asked where he was going.  
  
----  
  
It had been 48 hours since this nightmare began, 48 hours without sleep and barely any food. Bosco searched the streets all day and night, hoping to find the bastard that hurt Faith. He was a walking zombie. Unaware of anything but his mission. He knew he would kill if he found him. It was that simple fact that kept Bosco going each night. A little voice inside him telling him it was the only way. The only way the pain would stop.  
  
Startled out of his thoughts, his cell phone began to ring.  
  
"Ya"  
  
"Bosco, where the hell are you?" Sully demanded. "You haven't been back to the hospital in over a day. Have you even been checking your messages?"  
  
"I'm going to catch him Sul, it's the only way."  
  
"Listen to me Bosco, they are taking Faith off life support. Everyone's here to say goodbye. Don't you think you should be here, dammit!"  
  
"I have to find him." Bosco almost whispered.  
  
"She needs you! She doesn't need you trying to be hero! How will you ever forgive yourself if you never say goodbye!..........Bosco..........ANSWER ME!"  
  
But all Sully got in response was a dial tone.  
  
-----------  
  
Without knowing why, he found himself in a church. He had never believed in God, what had God done for him? Did God keep him safe from his father? Did God keep Faith safe? No. All Bosco had ever seen of "God" is the pain and suffering of people on the street; Faith in that hospital bed fighting for her life.  
  
"Why are you doing this to her?" he screamed at the ceiling above him. "She is the one of your angels. One of the good ones. TAKE ME! TAKE ME, I deserve it. I'm a mistake, a fucked up mistake!"  
  
He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself.  
  
"I promise, I swear to you right now, that if you let her live, I will do everything in my power to never take her for granted again."  
  
The tears continued to stream down his face but he did nothing to remove them. A wave of exhaustion overtook him. He no longer could keep his eyes open. As he laid his head down on the pew in front of him, he could be heard mumbling the words..."take me, take me, tell me what to do......"  
  
--------  
  
He felt safe. A gentle breeze swirled around his face. Sitting atop a rolling hill, wildflowers surrounded him, their scent intoxicating. He recognized the scent, but he couldn't put his finger on it. The sunlight was warm, beating down on his upturned face. Am I dreaming he wondered. Continuing to look around he saw a figure, a woman, standing a few steps from him. Familiarity ran through him. Did he know this woman?  
  
"Hello?" he cautiously asked as he stood from where he was sitting. Wearing a sundress and sandals, the woman's silky hair was left down and was waving in the breeze.  
  
"It's beautiful isn't it?" a soft, rich voice swirled around him but the woman did not turn around.  
  
"Where are we exactly?"  
  
Finally she turned around. "I brought you here Boz."  
  
No. It couldn't be. "Faith....." he uttered in complete shock.  
  
"Last time I checked that was my name," she smiled and her face lit up the sky.  
  
Bosco took the two steps that was separating them and grabbed her into his embrace. Burying his face in her hair he could smell wildflowers....Faith's scent. She was real, she was here in his arms.  
  
"Boz....Boz...I can't breath....." she said with a chuckle.  
  
"Sorry." he said sheepishly, loosening his hold but refusing to let go completely. He brought his hands up to gently cupping her face. "Is this real?" he whispered.  
  
Without warning, Faith stepped away from him.  
  
"Faith?....."  
  
"Don't give up on me Boz. Believe in me.....believe in us."  
  
She disappeared and Bosco snapped awake. A dream. It was just a dream he thought to himself. Trying to shake the eerie feeling, he quickly left the church and drove back to the hospital as fast as he could.  
  
--------  
  
He raced into the ICU, only to see everyone in tears, consoling each other.  
  
You're too late, You failed her again his mind screamed at him. He couldn't understand what was happening.  
  
Emily and Charlie turned from the group to spot Bosco in the doorway. They ran straight to him and hugged him fiercely. He hugged them back, knowing they were a connection to Faith.....his last connection.  
  
"Uncle Bosco, mom's ok, she's going to be ok. She's breathing on her own." Emily said excitedly.  
  
Bosco looked toward Sully, a bewildered look on his face.  
  
Nodding Sully confirmed Emily's news "She's ok Bosco, she's going to pull through. They say it's some kind of miracle."  
  
He gently released Emily and Charlie and moved toward Faith's room. He couldn't speak. He didn't know what to say. He started wonder if THIS too was a dream.  
  
He felt a hand on his shoulder. "You can go see her, Fred is down in the cafeteria." Sully told him gently.  
  
Wordlessly, Bosco moved to Faith's bedside. The swelling had gone down on her face but it had taken on a color of rainbows. She looked so small. Has she always been that fragile he thought to himself. He sat in the chair beside the bed and gently took her hand in his. With his other hand he brushed a few stray strands of hair from her face and let his hand linger there. He closed his eyes and laid his head on her chest. Listening. Her breathing was the sweetest sound he had ever heard.  
  
"I love you Faith." he whispered. "I won't give up on you. I won't give up on us." He closed his eyes, silently thanking the heavens.  
  
Sully stood in the doorway. Nodding his head a smile formed on his lips, he slowly closed the door.  
  
  
  
end 


End file.
